Tag: checksum

How do you find out that somebody has accessed your system and changed your configuration or security settings? How do you verify file content? There is no simple answer to these questions. Personally, I use specialized tool such as tripwire and combination of perl / shell script, UNIX command line utilities.

Examine methods of storing and later checking the validity of your configuration files is one of the key task. This article provides some guideline. You will develop a script that you can use to generate information that checks the validity of a file or directory full of files. The recorded information includes the file path, a checksum of the file so that you can compare the file contents, and unique information about the file (inode, permissions, ownership information) so that you can identify differences should they occur:

The typical UNIX administrator has a key range of utilities, tricks, and systems he or she uses regularly to aid in the process of administration. There are key utilities, command-line chains, and scripts that are used to simplify different processes. Some of these tools come with the operating system, but a majority of the tricks come through years of experience and a desire to ease the system administrator’s life. The focus of this series is on getting the most from the available tools across a range of different UNIX environments, including methods of simplifying administration in a heterogeneous environment.

Verifying integrity of the tar balls or source code is an essential step, which makes sure that you are going to use guanine software (also know as checksum). Every Linux or UNIX admin should be aware of this test. However, what is a checksum? A checksum is a form of a very simple measure for protecting the integrity of data from both hackers (read as crackers) and data transmission error over network i.e. make sure no one has tampered with a source file (see checksum @ wikipedia) For file verification, use any one of the following command:

sha1sum – check SHA1 (160-bit) checksums

md5sum – check MD5 (128-bit) checksums

gpg – Use to validate a GPG certificate

Therefore, whenever you visit source-code download site, you will come across md5sum, sha1sum, or gpg signature keys listed. Following is general syntax to verify keys with different commands: